Finger exerciser



March 26, 1929. D. THOMAS FINGER EXERCISER Filed Feb. 16. 1926 Patented Mar. 26, 1929.

UNITED STATES DAVID THOMAS, 0F LLANELLY, W'ALES.

FINGER EXERCISER.

Application filed February 16, 1926, Serial No. 88,646, and in Great Britain February 17, 1925.

The object of this invention is to supply a'ineans for exercising the fingers, thereby maintaining or improving the condition of muscular and nervous control and balance. It is intended more particularly to be used by violinist-s and pianists, being peculiarly adapted for preserving or developing coordination or uniformity of the muscles of the 2nd and 4th or of the 1st and 3rd fingers of the hand. It will doubtless be of service also to anybody who for any purpose whatever requires increased digital strength, either as regards the whole of the hand or only some of the fingers. It would be useful for exam le in cases of Jartial a ralysis or perhaps of neuritis.

Broadly, the invention is a finger exerciser, and it comprises any convenient number of thimbles.say live-suitably mounted, some of which may be stationary and others adapted. to swing upon levers which carry them, whilst all the thimbles whether stationary or movable, may be mounted in trunnion fashion so as to assume such angles as will most readily acconnnodatethem to the tips of the fingers, when inserted in the thimbles. The invention will now be explained more fully with the aid of the accoinpanying drawing which illustrates a ty ical form of the inventionby way of exa1nple-as follows.

1 is a general perspective view, Fig. 2 a detail detached therefrom, and

Fig. 3 a rear elevation of the upper part. p F 4. is a section through one of the thimbles, showingits holder.

The same letters of reference indicate the same or similar parts in the different figures. Referring to the drawing, five thimbles A B C D are mounted upon a frame or base in such a manner that their open ends,

are directed upwards. Their mounting in each instance, takes the form of a trunnion bearing formed inthe upright members of a U-shaped holder G which in some instances is swivelled to a suitable support (as hereinafter described) andin other cases is fixed, the pivot H, as seen in connection with thiinbles B and D, being in the centre of the horizontal portion of the holder, whereby it may turn on a vertical axis. each thimble is so weighted or suspended as to hang with the closed end downwards when left free. i

In the examples under consideration, the

In all cases two outer thimbles A and E and the centre thimble G are stationary, except as regards their being hinged in their holders G, which are mounted upon the stand or framework F. The remaining two thimbles B D alternating with the other three, are swivelled and are moreover positively movable, in the sense that they can swing through a relatively big are upon a pair of arms J which are pivoted to a column K or an elevated part of the stand or frame F situated a little distance towards the rear of the other part, said arms J carrying the said two thimbles B and D upright upon their ends, by means of the U-shaped holders Gr already mentioned, and being shaped with a forward horizontal bracket L, so as to bring the two thinibles B and D into position at either side of the centre thimble C. These three thimbles-the stationary one C and the two B and D on either side of it upon the swinga'ble arms J can be brought together in a line or group a little to the rear of the two extreme flanking thimbles A and E, which do not swing upon radial arms.

Although there are five thimbles altogether, only four consecutive ones are intended to be used at one time by the four fingers of the hand, the thumb not making use of any of them. A socket or recess M for the thumb is provided in a convenient position in the front portion of the stand or frame F. 7

Of thefour thimbles which are in use at any one time, still describing one form of the invention two of them B and D will always be the two which can swing away upon their hinged arms J and the other two A and G or G and E will comprise the central thimble C and either one of the end thimbles A or E. By positioning the latter an inch or so nearer to the user, an approximation to the natural position of the four fingers is attained, inasmuch as the thimbles A, B, C, l), E are not in one straight line, but are almost equivalent to the position of the fingers when playing a keyboard or the strings of a violin. A left hand is roughly outlined in Fig. 1 by the dot and dash lines.

The arms J above mentioned, are so hinged as to cause the thimbles B and D,

with their brackets L, to swing out sideways somewl at in the natural direction of the tips of the fingers when the latter are in sorted therein and then extended from a bent into a straight attitude. The arms J are controlled by springs O tending to keep them diverged, the drawing illustrates a conrenient arrangement as follows.

The arms J are arranged to cross one another near their upper ends and are adapted to swing in a vertical plane, carrying pins J extending at right angles which are journalled a. little distance apart in a head P mounted on the column K.

The further ends of the two pins J extend behind the head P, where they are fitted with crank arms J which are directed towards each other and are of such a length that one crank arm overlaps the other. The arms J and J are keyed or made fast in any desirable manner upon their pins J so that they swing with one another, the overlapping ends of crank arms J 2 being also connected to each other oy a pin and elongated slot connection Q, in order that the moven'ients of the arms J may be coordinated ant act together.

Each oi? the two crank arms J 2 is connected with a boss J provided with a slot J in which the end of a lever B is held fast by a clamping screw It. The free ends of the levers R are adapted to swing radially in a plane which is parallel with the planes in which the arms J swing, and their ends are normally forced towards one another, thereby causing the crossed arms J to be swung apart, by resilient means which conveniently comprises the pair of compression springs 0 supported upon a bolt 0 through elongated slots R in the levers R and having a head at one end and a wingnut O upon the other end whereby the strength of the springs 0 may be simultaneously regulated.

One manner of using the invention is as follows.

' hen either the second or fourth, orfirst and third, fingers are to be exercised, they will. be inserted in those two thimbles B and D which are mounted on the arms J, while the other two fingers will rest stationary in the adjacent thimbles A. and C, or as the case may be C and E, which hang convenient for hem. There are thus two changes of posi' tion, that is to say, in one position, the thimbles A 13 C D receive the four fingers, and :in the other position, the same fingers are transferred to the thimbles B C D E. In the former instance, the first and third fingers of the left hand or the second and fourth lingers of the right hand can be exercised and. in the latter instance, "the second and fourth or the first and third respectively. Obviously the fingers could be exercised singly instead of in pairs if desired. The thumb does not usually need exercise, but, as stated, may remain stationary in the socket M or at some other suitable point at the front of the frame or stand F.

The holders G which are carried on the passed freely arms J, or their brackets L, are provided with tail pieces G if necessary to form stops against the sides of the frame F, and the movement of such holders G upon their pivots H may be limited by a stop L standing up on the end of such bracket L. The thimbles are made carrying rings T which are pivoted by adjustable trunnion pins or screws to the upper partof the holders G, the thimbles being held against removal by a swivelling on the outside of the thimble engaging in an annular recess in the ring T or in other equivalent manner.

Means may be provided for adjusting the relative positions of any of the thimbles, to suit-for example-hands of different sizes and proportions. Such means comprise a slidable connection of the brackets L with the arms J combined with clamping screws V will be sufliciently understood, without further detail at present. Also the column K may be adjustable in height. Comfort is assured if the bottoms of the thimbles are supplied with thick india rubber rings \V. For variety of exercise, an additional thimble S may be mounted in a holder, as in the other cases, which is firmly held in a rigid bracket Y secured upon the head P by a thum screw Z, the fitting being facilitated by providing the head with upstanding flanges P forming a, slide into which the end of the bracket Y may be inserted before the screw Z is applied.

I may vary the details of the invention without departing from the general character. Thus the holders Gr could be superseded by a gimbal joint device, if preferred.

I claim:

1. In a device for the purpose set forth, a frame, three fixed thimble carrying supports, the two forward supports diverging, the other support being rearward and higher than said diverging supports, thimbles maintained in oscillatory engagement therewith, in combination with a pair of oscillatory arms maintained for movement toward and away from each other, and oscillatory and rotary thimbles maintained thereby.

2. In a finger exercising device, the combination with a base, a plurality of finger tip receiving caps which are associated with the base and maintained in fixed positions thereon, a pair of finger tip receiving caps mounted upon arms which are pivotally secured to the base, said arms being movable in arcs having different centers.

3. In a device for the purpose set forth, a frame having fixedly attached thereto three supports which project upwardly from the frame, oscillatory rings carried by the supports, thimbles or finger tip receiving caps carried by the rings, a pair of swinging members, springs for restricting movement of said swinging members, and two finger tip receiving caps carried by frames which are 5 having a thumb and two fixed thimble supports which are fixedly attached to the base, thimbles which are each maintained in movable engagement with the supports, in combination with swinging arms, members adjustably connected to the arms, and extending forward therefrom, thimble supports which are movably associated with the members which are adjustably connected to the arms, and resilient means for exerting pressure upon the arms.

In witness whereof I have signed this specification.

DAVID THOMAS. 

